Section Two

538 Million Riders

In 2016, the TTC set an all-time record of 538.1 million rides, surpassing its previous all-time total of 537.6 million set in 2015.

TTC ridership has increased each year for the last 13 years. Total ridership in 2003 was 405.4 million.

The TTC is projecting a new annual record ridership of 544 million in 2017. Ridership broke the half-billion plateau for the first time in 2011.

The TTC’s highest single-day ridership in 2016 was 1.846 million customers on Nov. 30. In 2016, there were 18 days in which the TTC carried more than 1.8 million rides in a single day.

On Aug. 3, 2015, the TTC carried its 30 billionth customer – or four times the world’s population – since its inception in 1921. With one billion customers carried approximately every 22 months, the TTC’s 31 billionth customer is expected in June 2017.

Nearly 85 per cent of all local transit trips in the GTA are made on the TTC. With more than 1.7 million customers on an average weekday, the TTC maintains a cost-recovery rate of more than 70 per cent from the farebox – one of the highest on the continent.

The TTC has the third largest ridership in North America, after Mexico City and New York City – cities with populations greater than eight million people.

Rider Stats (in millions)

2016 at a Glance

January 3: Subway service started at 8 a.m. on Sundays, one hour earlier than the traditional 9 a.m. Sunday start time.

January 3: Five new express bus routes announced to start operating in March, making it easier and quicker for TTC customers to get to where they need to go, including the 185 Don Mills, 199 Finch Rocket, 188 Kipling South Rocket, 24E Victoria Park Express and 186 Wilson Rocket.

February 4: The TTC unveiled its 2016 Customer Charter containing 35 time-bound commitments to increase accessibility, and improved service reliability and customer service. It was the TTC’s fourth charter announcement.

February 25: Marks the 50th anniversary of the official opening of the Bloor-Danforth Subway, from Keele to Woodbine. Formal ceremonies 50 years ago saw Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson and Ontario Premier John P. Robarts in attendance at Yonge Station.

March 10: Main Street Station became the first station in the subway system to get modern, paddle-style gates when the main entrance was equipped with eight bi-directional fare gates, six of which were PRESTO-enabled.

April 7: Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, Amarjeet Sohi, toured Harvey Shop to announce the first phase of federal funding to upgrade and improve public transit systems across Canada. The dollars would be allocated on the basis of ridership to support the largest systems that have not been able to fund essential state-of-good-repair projects.

May 6: Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, pledged up to $840 million in public transit funding for Toronto during a visit to Greenwood Shop.

May 28: TTC Chair Josh Colle and Beaches-East York MPP Arthur Potts officially opened Leslie Barns as part of TTC’s Doors Open event. The new carhouse features a green roof, state-of-the-art streetcar simulator training room and a substation and a storm water management pond.

May 30: Toronto Rockets trains replaced T-1 trains in revenue service on Line 4 Sheppard.

June 19: The TTC introduced the 514 Cherry streetcar into revenue service, providing congestion relief to the nearly 65,500 daily riders along King Street – the TTC’s busiest surface route. The new 514 service connects Cherry Street and the West Don Lands area in the east to Dufferin Street and the Liberty Village area in the west.

August 23: Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Toronto Mayor John Tory visited St Clair West Station to jointly announce hundreds of millions of new dollars for the TTC’s capital program through Phase 1 of the long-term Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF).

September 28: The TTC Board approved the TTC’s Stations Transformation Program. As part of the Five-Year Corporate Plan to modernize the TTC, the transformation plan will see the overhaul of station design and role as the TTC nears the full implementation of PRESTO. It will also include the introduction of a multi-functional, customer-focused and mobile Customer Service Agent role in place of the Station Collector role, starting mid-2017.

October 9: The first train with one crew member entered revenue service on Line 4 Sheppard, officially starting One-Person Train Operation (OPTO). With OPTO technology, Subway Operators drive the train and operate its doors from the lead cab, with a Subway Guard no longer be onboard.

November 4: The TTC announced that it was named winner of the Best Diversity Program, a national award for outstanding achievement in diversity, awarded by Canadian HR Reporter and Thomson Reuters Canada Limited. In 2015, the TTC renewed its commitment to diversity and inclusion by centralizing and expanding the role of its Diversity and Human Rights Department to clearly define a strategy to achieve diversity and inclusion goals across the organization.

December: Ossington Station became the TTC’s 35th accessible station with its two elevators entering service. The TTC now has a total of 88 elevators in service. The Easier Access Phase 3 Project will make all remaining subway/rt stations accessible by 2025.

December 22: The entire TTC network is PRESTO ready, with at least one entrance at every subway station with PRESTO, and all buses, streetcars and Wheel-Trans buses.

December 31/January 1, 2017: For the fourth consecutive year, the TTC offered free New Year’s Eve rides courtesy of Corby Spirit and Wine.

Unlocking Gridlock

A simple solution to unlocking gridlock: in the A.M. rush it takes 55 cars* to carry 61 commuters who can otherwise be comfortably seated on one articulated streetcar heading downtown.

*Average 1.11 automobile occupancy for inbound trips to the city of Toronto.

Modernizing the TTC

Our Vision

A transit system that makes Toronto proud.

Our Mission

To provide a reliable, efficient and integrated bus, streetcar and subway network that draws its high standards of customer care from our rich traditions of Safety, Service and Courtesy.

Our Challenge

To keep Toronto moving as we transform public transit and modernize the TTC.

Our 7 Strategic Objectives

To keep the TTC moving in the right direction, the TTC has defined seven strategic objectives to help realize Our Vision. They are: Safety, Customer, People, Assets, Growth, Financial Sustainability and Reputation.

Our Core Value

Valuing time. For most, public transit represents the fastest and most cost-effective way to move around Toronto. At the TTC, this means valuing both the quality and quantity of time our customers spend with us. Valuing time lies at the heart of everything we do and everything we measure – it’s a strong and deep-seated principle that will guide us forward.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Among the tools and targets that will help in the drive to modernize the TTC is the Key Performance Indicators. The TTC measures critical items, such as punctuality, reliability, financials, and safety and security. A daily report shows at a glance how the TTC did on the previous business day to meet its commitment to provide punctual Subway/RT, bus and streetcar service, as well as reliable up-time availability of elevator and escalator service in subway stations. The KPI also includes a Customer Satisfaction Survey/Mystery Shopper Survey, which is valuable for measuring what customers are saying and feeling about the TTC. As well, each month the CEO’s Report presented to the TTC Board and public provides greater detail on performance, creating greater accountability to our customers.

TTC Stop Stats

10,147Total number of service stops served by TTC vehicles in Toronto and the GTA.

8,713Total number of bus stops (inside Toronto).

812Total number of bus stops (outside of Toronto served by contracted TTC vehicles).

622Total number of streetcar stops (all inside Toronto).

4,859Total number of stops with shelters.

7,816Total number of accessible stops served by TTC vehicles in Toronto and the GTA (7,283 within Toronto [7,254 bus/29 streetcar stops], 533 bus stops outside Toronto).

Request Stop Program

Any TTC customer who is travelling alone by bus, between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., can take advantage of the TTC’s Request Stop Program. Request Stop allows a customer who may be feeling vulnerable to exit the bus at a location between regular TTC stops. Here’s how it works:

When the customer is at least one TTC stop ahead of where he or she would like to exit the bus, he or she will advise the Operator that a Request Stop is being made. Please note that the Operator must be able to stop the bus safely to meet the request.

The customer will exit the bus by the front doors. The rear doors will remain closed. Reminder: Request Stop is not available on streetcars. Streetcars travel in the middle of the roadway too far from the sidewalk to let customers exit the vehicle safely at an unmarked stop.

Stops Between Stops

TTC Operators may exercise discretion when it comes to stopping their bus between regular TTC stops for any customers expressing a genuine need to exit the vehicle, regardless of gender or time of day. The only restrictions are:

Whatever the location, the TTC vehicle must be able to stop in a safe manner.

The Operator must have an unobstructed view out of the front doors and must be able to inspect the bus mirrors.

Whatever the reason to stop between stops, the person making the request must truly be in need (i.e. personal safety or has a disability).

Governance

The TTC is responsible for establishing, operating and maintaining a local passenger transportation system within the urban area of the city of Toronto.

The TTC is a City of Toronto board and a body corporate. The TTC is governed by an 11-member Board consisting of both City Councillors and members of the general public.

The Board establishes service and fare levels to ensure that customer demand is met and budgets are balanced. The Board also: approves corporate policies relating to the operations of the TTC and its employees; directs labour and employee relations matters; and provides oversight in relation to the establishment, operation and maintenance of the transit system.

The TTC is responsible for presenting its Board with a balanced budget each year. City Council approves the annual operating subsidy it makes to the TTC. Decisions on fare and service levels are made by the Board.

Board meetings are generally held monthly in public to review policy and operating matters of the TTC. All members of the Board serve at the pleasure of City Council.

Councillors are appointed to the TTC Board by City Council on recommendation of the City of Toronto Striking Committee. Citizen members are appointed to the TTC Board by City Council through the City’s Public Appointments process. The TTC Chair is elected representative appointed by a vote of City Council. The TTC Vice-Chair is a citizen member appointed by a vote of the TTC Board.

Crisis Link

Crisis Link is a program available on every subway platform. It’s designed to encourage anyone contemplating suicide to use the payphone at the Designated Waiting Area at each platform. The direct-dial button connects callers with a trained counsellor at the Distress Centres of Toronto.

The TTC, in partnership with Distress Centres and Bell Canada, provides Crisis Link to offer hope to those at risk of suicide.

The phone call is free and confidential. Counsellors will talk with the caller and assess the risk to the individual who is considering suicide. Distress Centres staff will contact the TTC’s Transit Control Centre to implement the appropriate measures to ensure the individual remains safe.

In 2012, Crisis Link earned the TTC a Corporate Leadership Award from the Canadian Urban Transit Association. In 2011, the TTC received the Arnold Devlin Community Service Award, presented by the Ontario Association for Suicide Prevention, in recognition of its suicide prevention programs: Crisis Link, Gatekeeper and Acute Psychological Trauma.

The TTC is committed to protecting the safety and health of its workers, its customers, the public living in the communities in which it operates, and to the protection of the environment. The TTC will conduct its business to systematically identify and control safety, health and environmental risks.

Growth and Expansion on the TTC

ATC

The TTC is installing a state-of-the-art subway signalling system that will pave the way for an Automatic Train Control system, which is a Communications Based Train Control system. The new signalling system, which will provide for 25 per cent additional train capacity, is scheduled for full operation on Line 1 Yonge-University by 2020. In 2016, ATC crews installed more than 188,460 metres of cable, 576 beacons, 38 fibre optic splice enclosures, 24 signals, 130 axle counters, and completed 6,871 terminations on various signalling devices and 4,104 fibre splices. This is all the critical signalling equipment required for ATC signalling system that is scheduled for service from Dupont to Wilson stations in the fall 2017.

Leslie Barns

In 2016, TTC Chair Josh Colle and Beaches-East York MPP Arthur Potts officially opened Leslie Barns as part of the TTC’s Doors Open event. Leslie Barns is the TTC’s new streetcar maintenance and storage facility at Leslie Street and Lake Shore Boulevard East. The Leslie Barns houses the new fleet of accessible streetcars. The modern 26,000-square-metre carhouse was built to Toronto Green Standard and is equipped with up to 30 service bays. The new carhouse has a green roof, a streetcar simulator training room, storage tracks, a substation and a storm water management pond.

PRESTO

The PRESTO rollout continues across the TTC. By the end of 2016, PRESTO was available on all TTC buses, including Wheel-Trans and accessible taxis and at least one entrance of every subway station. PRESTO has been available on all streetcars since 2015. The rollout will continue in 2017. The remaining subway station entrances that do not yet have PRESTO or the TTC’s new paddle-style fare gates will get them, TTC pass products, such as monthly and weekly passes, will be introduced on PRESTO, additional self-serve vending devices will be installed in the subway and PRESTO will be available on Wheel-Trans sedan taxis. The milestones will be implemented throughout 2017. When fully deployed the TTC will be the largest transit system in Canada using PRESTO, with more than 10,000 devices on more than 1,900 vehicles and in all subway stations (including Line 1 subway extension into York Region). The TTC and Metrolinx signed a master agreement to supply the PRESTO smart card technology across the system in November 2012.

Customer Complaints/Compliments: 416-393-3030 (7 days a week, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Walk-in service to Customer Service Centre [above Davisville Station] Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed holidays); extended hours, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every Thursday, and the first and last business day of each month). TTY Line: 416-338-0357.

Metropass Discount Plan Office: 416-397-8827 (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed weekends and holidays. Walk-in service for MDP Office [above Davisville Station] Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; extended hours, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every Thursday and the first and last business day of each month).